A Song Of the Marsh
by Sexy Lovecraft
Summary: All the noble girls marry. First was Lady Sansa Stark, the now beautiful wife of the crown prince Joffrey Baratheon. Now it's time for her little sister Arya. As much as she fights, the she-wolf will have to marry. Luckly, she is promised to Jojen Reed, a crannogman, son of the Lord of Greywater Watch. [AU where Ned Stark becomes Hand, but he never finds out about the incest]
1. Prologue

_**Prologue**_

_"Mother is going to kill me."_, thought Arya.

Arya Stark, a lady from one of the Great Houses, didn't fit in King's Landing. A lots of young ladies from minor houses dreamt of living in the King's court, but Arya hated the place. She once enjoyed the castle; she had "dancing" lessons with Syrio Forel and she explored the city, but when Arya turned twelve something changed. Arya was diferent, she looked unlike her. Her father, the Hand of the King, Lord Eddard Stark forbade her the sword fighting lessons and Septa Mordane was more demanding, especially when her older sister Sansa finally married with the crown prince, Joffrey Baratheon.

Arya was bored in the court. She had to do girl things. The other ladies were boring and hypocrite. And then Septa Mordane started to talk about the "pretty knights" who were present on court. _What pretty knights? Knights to marry?_

Arya begged her father to send her back to Winterfell. To home. She missed Winterfell so much. Lord Eddard hesitated, particularly when there were some interessing wedding proposals from great and rich houses, but Ned decided to send her to WInterfell. She was young and, where she gets older (and wiser), she would return to King's Landing and marry with honorable young lord.

Ned took advantage of the situation and asked to the King and childhood friend Robert Baratheon the King's permission to accompany his daughter in the journey's party to Winterfell and also get back in touch with his wife Catelyn. King Robert got a little upset, but he let the friend do the trip.

**x-x**

When Lord Eddard and Arya arrived, Lady Catelyn was waiting with her heart in her hands and she run to see her husband and her youngest daughter again.

"Oh Ned!", she gave a big kiss to Ned and Arya started happily greeting and hugging her brothers. She hunged Robb who grow up to a great man and a lord. Some time from now he'll probably choose a wife and marry. Bran and Rickon also grow up. Before they were little boys; now Bran was ten and he was as tall as Arya.

Nymeria, the direwolf, met this brothers in four years of absence. Grey Wind, Summer and Shaggy recognized their sister and they stared to play, very happy. The pack was together.

Arya was quite happy, even if she was a little sad by the absence of Jon Snow. She missed the brother that ruffled her hair and smiled to her.

There were a great feast in honor of their arrivel, with lots of warm and flavorful food. The smallfolk in Winter Town also ate, feasting, singing and dancing. The Great Hall of Winterfell was full of people. Some Northern nobleman like Lord Medger Cerwyn and Lord Rickard Karstark were present. The feast lasted till the late hours of the night.

**x-x**

"I'm sad that you didn't adapt to King's Landing.", said Catelyn, brushing her daughter's tousled hair in the next morning. _If Arya brush her hair more often, she would have a very silky hair._ But she didn't. Lady Catelyn, a beautiful woman and respectful, concluded that the Red Keep or even the strict Septa Mordane will never teach the savage Arya to be a lady; she needed her mother.

"I didn't like the place.", said Arya. Although it was half a lie.

"Well, in my time, the Red Keep was a horrible place."

"I know the history of King Aerys Targaryen. _Ouch_...", said Arya, "But Father was always busy - _ouch_ - and I had no friends. Nymeria was - _ouch_ - was always locked. It was awfull. _Ouch_ - And the other girls - _ouch_ - were stupid. Like Sansa. She didn't talk to me, Sansa was too busy with her prince."

Catelyn was worried about her oldest daughter, but she smiled.

"Oh sweet Arya, Sansa was promised to Joffrey Baratheon. Of course, she was always with her prince.", Arya shrugged. Catelyn began to make a braid with Arya's soft dark hair and said, "If you want to, I can find a friend for you."

"You can't just simply find a friend for me, Mother.", said Arya, "Friends aren't like flowers. I just need to meet a person who likes me. In the Red Keep, I didn't find a person who_ truly_ liked me."

"But I bet there's a girl in North who wants to be a friend with you.", said Catelyn, "Maybe a daughter of one of your father's bannerman."

"No.", said Arya, "Are we done with the braid?"


	2. Winter, marriages and knights

_Thank you so much for the favorites, the following and the reviews._

_**DinomyteHero:** Thank you, but I can't answer to you question. You need to read the story to know._

_**Guest**: Yeah, Jojen is a nice guy and Arya would love to leave in the Neck, free and wild._

_**Evaline101:** I'm updating, but I'm a slow writer. :(_

_I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Please, review. I need to know if you are enjoying or not._

_Kisses._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Winter, marriages and knights<strong>_

The days in Winterfell were cold. _"I was used to the mild weather of King's Landing."_, thought Arya, dressing her wolf fur coat,_ "But I'm a direwolf, a Stark. I shouldn't feel cold."_ Her days were filled with the certain activities like sewing (terribly for Septa Mordane's despair), secretly sword practicing with her Neddle, talking with her brothers Bran and Rickon about random subjects, answering to Theon's comments, wandering through Winterfell and reading. Anyway, Arya was bored. She could pretend she was from the smallfolk, but they know her. Without Sansa, Arya was the lady Stark of Winterfell (besides Lady Catelyn of course) and she needed to be lady-like. _"Like in King's Landing."_

"This is more tedious than I thought.", sighed Arya to herself.

The snow fell more heavily and Winter Town was full of people.

"Winter is coming.", said Catelyn to her daughter, "The people come to Winter Town trying to save their lifes. This summer was very long. Too long. Now it's ending."

"You sound like Father.", said Arya.

"But it's true.", said Catelyn, "You should've stayed in Red Keep."

Arya rolled her eyes.

"But I'm here.", said she, "But not for long."

**x-x**

"Probably I'm going to marry with Alys Karstark.", said Robb during dinner. Lady Alys Karstark was sitting close to her father, who was next to Ned Stark. For some unknown reason to Robb, Alys was going to spend a week in Winterfell. When Lord Ned returned from King's Landing, Lord Karstark was already in Winterfell; he said that he needed to speak to Lord Stark, but why bring his daughter?

"If you aren't interested, I've got to say that I am.", smirked Theon.

Robb drank the wine that was in his cup in one gulp and showed a shy smile to his friend.

"I hope your interest in Alys disappear when we get engaged.", said Robb.

"Of course.", said Theon.

Alys was a beautiful young girl. She has dark brown wavy hair woven into a simple braid. She has a long solemn face and a smile of a coltish girl and her eyes...she has the most beautiful, piercing eyes, they're blue but also grey. But she, very skinny, wearing the simple grey woolen grown with details in dark blue, she looked like a taller version of Arya.

On that day, Arya was forced by Lady Catelyn to spruce up. She put on her most beautiful and less dirty dress; it was of gray linen with a wool dark grey cover. She was beautiful. _"Arya became a beautiful young lady in the South."_

At the beginning of the dinner, when Arya entered the Great Hall, Robb smiled and said:

"You are very pretty, like a lady should be."

"I'm no lady.", growled the she-wolf. _"Yeah, still wild, but different..."_

"A boy has become a girl.", joked Theon. Arya got angry and pushed Theon, who didn't fall and continued to laugh. Fortunately, Mother didn't see the scene, "Is it all that you can?", asked Theon, smirking. Arya stared at Theon intensely, thinking. Then she smiled and said, very sassy:

"You don't _want_ to see all I can do."

Theon didn't laugh. But Robb did.

"Okay, sis. Let's eat, shall we?"

"Yeah, I should go to Arya and apologize.", said Theon, hurting his own pride. Arya was across the long table next to Bran and Rickon, "Maybe tomorrow. Today I gonna to _chat_ with Lady Alys."

"What about Ros? Did you stop _chatting_ with her?"

"We paused.", answered Theon, "But don't worry, my good friend Robb. I won't do anything wrong with Alys. Only_ talk_."

"Yeah, right..."

**x-x**

On the next day, Lady Catelyn was shocked with Ned's idea of taking Bran to King's Landing.

"Bran always wanted to became a knight.", said Ned, "Last night he begged to be send to the Red Keep. He and Rickon."

"He's only a boy.", said Cat.

"He's ten! I had two opportunities to take him to Red Keep and I didn't, because you begged not to."

"Please, Ned, no! He would be alone! At least, you could send him to Riverrun. Be a square to Brynden Tully.", said Catelyn.

"In Red Keep, we aren't alone. We never are.", said Ned, taking the delicate hands of his wife, "He would be with Sansa. And then with Arya, when she returns of her stage here. And you."

"I need to be here.", said Catelyn, "Must always have a Stark in Winterfell."

"Yes. But there's Robb.", said Ned, "Soon, Robb is going to marry and have his own family. He's ready to be Lord of Winterfell."

"Marry with Alys Karstark?"

"Maybe."

"He's too young.", said Catelyn, "My brother Edmure has twice of Robb's age and he's single and he even doesn't know how to rule over himself. When my father dies, it's going to be caos."

"And do you want to send Bran to that caos?", asked Ned, glancing his wife.

"I don't know.", sighed Catelyn, "He could marry one of the Frey girls. The Frey of the Crossing are becoming dangerously powerful."

Suddenly, someone knocks the door.

"Come in.", ordered Ned. It was Maester Luwin.

"M'lord, it is a raven from Moat Cailin.", said Maester Luwin, giving a thick paper made from green plants with the sigil of House Reed in wax holding the rustic scroll. Lord Ned read and then turned to his wife, showing a big smile.

"Lord Howland Reed is coming to visit Winterfell."


End file.
